In search of: A home for the Alta Public Library

Alta needs a public library. More specifically, Alta’s Public Library needs a home. But, wait, you say, Alta does have a library. Yes, it’s complicated. It’s all in the name: Alta COMMUNITY Library.

Alta has a rare sort of library known as a combined library. There are very few of these libraries, but in Alta’s case, the combined library was formed on a school bond referendum to build the Alta Middle School, which included proposing a joint school/public library operation. As Library Director Gigi Nelson notes, “A 28E between government agencies spells out the details on responsibilities and operational parameters. The agreement was voted by the Alta-Aurelia school board to not renew in the December 2023 board meeting. The termination ends the partnership on June 30, 2025.” 

 Prior to this combined situation, Alta had a standalone public library that had been located on Hwy. 7, and before that, a postage stamp-sized library on Main Street, but that’s another story. The facility on the highway was far from ideal for several reasons. One, a public library located on a busy highway meant that it was not safe for children to access, and two, the facility had little floor space for groups of any size.    

Fast-forward to 2023 and SF496 (Iowa Senate File) passed with Gov. Kim Reynolds signing a bill to ban books with content that certain parent groups found objectionable. Iowa State Senator Lynn Evans, former Alta-Aurelia superintendent, supported this measure. The bill has caused all sorts of headaches in the community library because public-owned children’s books and school-owned children’s books were interfiled on shelves.

Leave it to librarians to find a workable solution for the short term, essentially segregating school books from public books. With the 28E sharing agreement ending in less than eight months, the public books, movies and staff need to find a home of their own. Additionally, all of the shelving, counters, cupboards and various interior furnishings move, too. 

Readers may remember that a committee was formed to study possible locations as the next home for the library. The committee considered the ground level of the old Alta Hospital, which had a large yard, abundant parking, and room for other concerns to move into the floor above them, but the ceilings on the ground floor were too low. Next, they considered the old grocery store on Main Street, which the city council viewed favorably. An architect presented a nice plan, and then the council voted down the idea.  

There is some talk of moving the library — temporarily — back to the highway. I served on the Alta library board for over a decade, and even though I did not support the combined library, I coordinated the move from the highway building to the school. I know what an onerous task it is, even with a lot of volunteer help. Believe me, you do not want to move a library more than you must.  The current public library space measures 3,110 square feet; they need a minimum of 4600. 

Suggesting that the library move back to the highway as a stop-gap measure doesn’t begin to pencil out in square footage alone. The parking is still severely limited. Furthermore, located at the fairgrounds intersection on Hwy. 7, people are often speeding through town; this is not a safe place for children to cross. More importantly, programming was almost non-existent when the library was located on the highway. That is far from the case now. In 2022, the library served 1,469 for programs just for children five and under. A quick glance at the library’s calendar shows a wealth of activities for kids and adults. Based on door counts, special program attendance and the amount of circulating children’s materials, Director Nelson reports that, next to the Alta-Aurelia School District, it’s the busiest government building in Alta.   

Some people in Alta think the library is not visited or used. Nelson continues, “but they haven’t used the library if they think that. City council, school board and administrators who fail to visit their community library are failing to be fully informed about a vital resource in our community that serves all citizens of Alta and the surrounding rural area.” 

It’s time to provide this town the great public library it has deserved all along. The city council should take a busman’s holiday and drive to Albert City. It has had a lovely Main Street library for decades. Or look at Lake City, Laurens, Lake View, Marcus, Pocahontas or Sac City with their lovely buildings. If you’re traveling through central Iowa, roll through Madrid and feast your eyes. Or if you’re passing through extreme northwest Iowa, Alton, Hull and Boyden are all smaller than Alta, and all boast superior facilities.

Some towns have made the library magic happen with community donations. Albert City’s library is one such example, where lots of people contributed. Another is my hometown of Hospers, which never had a library until 2000, and again, donations made a long-held dream a reality.

Towns will pump money into a swimming pool which is used a few short months of the year, but a library, which can be used by anyone and everyone all year round, does not always receive the love it deserves. There’s wealth aplenty in Alta to build or refurbish a space that will rival any of these other small-town libraries; there just needs to be the political will.   

Joan Zwagerman is an archivist at Buena Vista University by day and a library advocate all the time.